Heart of Darkness Essay - 1292 Words

Heart of Darkness Essay Morality has been interpreted in different ways throughout life, but there is only one true definition, which leads to the reality of what society truly is. Joseph Conrad uses narration in Heart of Darkness to explain and analyze human’s moral values. It is true that all humans are savages, but this savage nature does not make someone a bad person. If a person uses one’s savage features for evil and do not restrain from doing so, then it is the lack of restraint that brings upon the evil in humans. Restraint is necessary for the sake of mankind because it helps a person to ease into understanding the harsh reality of life. Morality is the ability to restrain from using one’s savage nature for the demise of†¦show more content†¦In the colonization of the Congo, the strong Europeans did not restrain from using their savage nature and took away all freedom for greed. The natives, which are cannibals in this case, are strong and powerful in this situa tion and can probably destroy the Europeans and take away their freedom as well, but they do not. They restrain from doing something that is wrong: winning an unfair fight. This concludes that because of restraint the natives understand right and wrong and the Europeans do not. The ability to restrain allows individuals to act morally and therefore leads to a much more stable society. Restraint not only allows humans to act justly, it also helps people to understand life and its cruelty better. The truth, hidden beneath the lies of society, creates negative affects to humans once it is uncovered. Humans use lies to cope with life to such an extent that the lie itself becomes the truth because it is engraved within the mind of the individual. The harshness of life is the realization that the life one lives is a lie. Sometimes this realization is so intense people cannot accept it and will eventually collapse, which will in turn cause society to collapse as well. Conrad uses the concept of the lie being the truth to show that humans try to make sense of life even thoughShow MoreRelatedHeart Of Darkness Essay1426 Words   |  6 PagesJoseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness uses character development and character analysis to really tell the story of European colonization. Within Conrads characters one can find both racist and colonialist views, and it is the opinion, and the interpretation of the reader which decides what Conrad is really trying to say in his work. Chinua Achebe, a well known writer, once gave a lecture at the University of Massachusetts about Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, entitled An image of Africa:Read More Heart of Darkness Essay2840 Words   |  12 Pages Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness does not explicitly deal with a struggle between war and peace: the conflict is a psychological, moral one; however, the text’s implications that society is a thin veil over our innate savagery, the darkness at the roots of Western civilization, reveals disturbing truths about the peaceful, orderly lives we take for granted. The key to understanding Conrad’s novella lies in ascertaining the metaphorical significance of the â€Å"heart of darkness,† a search which mayRead MoreEssay on Heart of Darkness981 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness The nightmare of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is found in its stark portrayal of madness under the influence of an environment filled with desolation. Its protagonist, Mr. Kurtz, was raised amongst civilized people, adapted virtues that were regarded proper in society during the Victorian era, yet when he travels into the Congo, where these qualities are of no consequence, he abandons them to become wild. To understand how Kurtz fell to this emotional corruptness, a readerRead MoreHeart of Darkness Essay1068 Words   |  5 Pages1. Some critics believe that in Heart of Darkness Conrad illustrates how ‘’the darkness of the landscape can lead to the darkness of the social corruption.† This statement means that if the environment is dark, then the people in that environment will match the surrounding feeling, which is dark and depressing. For example, if it is a gloomy rainy day, most people feel tired and not as happy. If it is a bright sunny day, the most people feel motivated to get things done and joyful. Yes, thisRead MoreEssay On Heart Of Darkness720 Words   |  3 PagesBook Review: Heart of Darkness When reading Joseph Conrad’s stunning work of literary fiction, Heart of Darkness, one is transported to the Congo’s jungles itself and has to ferociously fight until the end. The novel is readable to those determined to reach the end; the words are arranged almost in a way that makes the reader feel the struggle of the Congo. Reading the novel is indeed a journey itself, making the end worth the struggle. In Heart of Darkness, the narrator is in fact not the realRead MoreEssay on Heart of Darkness1208 Words   |  5 PagesJoseph Conrads The Heart of Darkness is a dark and haunting tale about the search for a substantial and mysteriously powerful man named Mr. Kurtz. Heart of Darkness centers around Marlow, a sailor and also narrator of the novella. Throughout the work, Conrad uses an array of literary devices to suggest his style of writing. The title of the work itself, The Heart of Darkness, is an example of the use of metaphor. Darkness is a significant part of the books title conceptually. However, it isRead More Heart of Darkness Essay941 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness Darkness permeates every circumstance, scene, and character in Joseph Conrads novella, Heart of Darkness. Darkness symbolizes the moral confusion that Charlie Marlow encounters, as well as the moral reconciliation he has within himself while searching for Kurtz. Marlows morals are challenged numerous times throughout the book; on the Congo river and when he returns to Brussels. Charlie Marlow characterizes the behavior of the colonialists with, The flabby, pretendingRead MoreEssay on Heart of Darkness934 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness The dark thoughts, which are usually ignored and not allowed to be brought up in conversation, are pushed back into the remote corners of the mind, but have the ability to run free when man is in his most vulnerable state. Sleep, the unconscious. It is in dreams where twisted stories of malevolence and horror take place. The soul’s core is full of sin from the first minute man is born. Even Adam, the original man, who was born when the earth began its timeline, has sin runningRead More Heart Of Darkness Essay1479 Words   |  6 Pageslet the sexism of her culture keep her down. Adah would dislike the way that women are portrayed in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness because women are treated as though they do not belong in the real world. Women are treated as objects instead of people with thoughts and feelings. It is this treatment that Adah worked hard to overcome. Part II In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Marlow, the narrator of most of the story, tell th e story of his journey into the Congo searching for the lost ivoryRead MoreEssay about Heart of Darkness1745 Words   |  7 Pages This essay provides an in depth review of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a classical novella that illustrates without bias the motives behind human intentions and the extremes individuals can go to achieve wealth and profits at the expense of others with the aim of shedding insight into the rise of European imperialism, the imperial history, its politics and evil activities in the colonized African tribes along the river Congo during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The Heart of Darkness